Gator

Hello Friends,

This is a little painting I did, just for fun! Being from Louisiana, I am all too familiar with the Gator. He is everywhere! My son even tried to bring one home for a pet one time, tucked under his arm. I told him, his mom is out there and will come looking for him. Take it BACK! LOL That's the life with raising two boys! So funny. My daughter, who is the youngest, just tagged along like it was nothing out of the ordinary. This is 5x7 Acrylic on gessoed masonite and is available for $30.
                                                                         Gator
                                                                    5x7 acrylic
                                                                         $30

Lunch Time

Hello Friends,

This was such a fun painting to do. I absolutely loved the challenge of the stripes on this gorgeous animal. I wanted to see if I could actually indicate the intricate pattern of his stripes on his forehead and I did! I am so proud of how this turned out! I wanted to see if I could give the impression that he is juuuussssttt fixing to take his next mouthful of grass. I just love it when a plan comes together! This is Acrylic on Stretched Canvas and is 8x10 and is available for 55.00.
                                                                   Lunch Time
                                                                   8x10 Acrylic
                                                               on Stretched Canvas
                                                                       $55

Generations

Hello again, friends...

This is a new still life painting I have just finished. I just love, love, LOVE going outside my comfort zone in my painting. It's a struggle to begin with, but I learn so much from doing this. This painting consists of the amber colored glass, which belonged to my mom's husband's mother. I found it in her closet one weekend while I was looking for something good to add to my setup. It's antique and beautiful. It has purples and greens and yellows. It's called carnival glass, I am told. So this was the "old" in my setup. The clear glass is a newer wine glass that I had at mom's. So this was the "young" in my setup. So I set the "old" and the "young" together with the roses and started sketching on my canvas with my paint brush. This is always difficult and a challenge. It contains the awful "E" word, (ellipses). This is the top of the glass that makes a circle and the bottom of the glass that makes a circle. It took me a minute, but I think I did ok. I think it turned out WONDERFUL!! I've included two shots of the beginning of this painting to show you my progress. This is 11x14 oil on stretched canvas and is available for $100 with FREE Shipping within the United States.
                                                       
                                                                     Generations
                                                         11x14 oil on stretched canvas
                                                                        SOLD

 

Sea Turtle

Hello again, friends,

I just delivered this commission painting. This painting was so much fun to do! It's not my usual style. I loved the bright colors and how they came together. The reference photos I used for this were some of the clients own photos of a scuba diving adventure. I just took the photos and incorporated them into the painting. This is more "Pop Art" style than is usual for me, but I think I may have just found a new passion. This is 16X20 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas and the client LOVED it! YaY!!

                                                                         Sea Turtle

                                                                     16x20 Acrylic 

       

                                                                 

Dorothy Dent Barn

Hello Friends,

Last year, when I was off work because I had surgery, I had a lesson by Dorothy Dent on a Barn and old truck. My son joined me online while I was streaming, and wanted to know what year model the truck was. LIKE I KNOW! All I know is it's old. The barn reminds me of my grandpa. I remember him as being weathered and aged, but sturdy. I loved doing this barn and I don't know why I haven't done more of them. I think that is something I need to fix, ASAP! This is 16X20 Oil on Canvas Panel.
                                                                Dorothy Dent Barn
                                                          16X20 Oil on Canvas Panel
                                                                       $120
                                                                   

 

Emotions

Hello Friends,

Let me tell you about this painting that has just about put me over the edge! LOL I had purchased a tutorial DVD from Alan Kingwell on his technique of panoramic seascape. I watched and watched this DVD. I attempted to do a panoramic seascape over and over again. I always messed it up. So I had to put that away for awhile. I had painted a beach scene from a reference before with no problem. But I wanted the "SEA". I had in my head, what I wanted. I wanted a big wave, with lots of movement in the water. I wanted splash on the rocks. I wanted distant land masses. I wanted it out of my head and on a canvas. So I decided to get in front of my easel and play with color and paint. I decided not to use brushes, but to completely go outside my comfort zone and use only knives. Boy, howdy, that was a jump! I got the whole thing done and hated it! LOL The values were all wrong for me. One of my very close artist friends, Renate Dabney, sent me some acetate to help me see my values. It was amazing, when I looked at my painting thru the acetate, I could see exactly what needed to be done to get the idea I had in my head on canvas. I can't thank her enough! I am calling this one, "Emotions" because mine were in an uproar! LOL This is 20X24 Oil on stretched Canvas and is available for $100.
                                                                        Emotions
                                                                20x24 Oil on Canvas
                                                                         $100

LSU Tiger Close UP

Hello Friends,

I haven't posted this painting on my blog before. I don't know why, since it was such a challenge for me and so much fun. I loved the reference photo for this painting because of the TEETH! I wanted to see if I could actually paint those teeth and get the value right. I always love painting the eyes of any animal I paint, but this guy with the mouth open, was a whole different ball game. When I first started on the tongue, I had the color all wrong! I adjusted my color some and I feel like I got it dead on! I am so tickled with the way it turned out! This is a small painting. It is 6X6 gallery wrapped canvas, so the painting goes around to the outside edge. That way it doesn't even need a frame. It's 2 inches deep, so it sits upright without being on a stand. It's acrylic.
                                                                       LSU Tiger Close Up
                                                                 6X6 Acrylic Gallery Wrap
                                                                             

Business as Usual

ok, Since the other link isn't working, I had to repost this painting and the story that goes with it. This is a painting from last year and the thoughts I had while I was painting it.
Business as Usual

Hello again, everyone. I have not posted anything in a while. Between the new job and learning a whole new system, and getting acquainted with the Natchitoches Art Guild and Gallery, I have been pretty busy. This painting is one that I is inspired from my trip to Natchitoches.

When I got there, there was no electricity in the whole town. There was some kind of accident somewhere that had knocked out the power. All the shops and restaurants couldn't make sales or accept credit cards, except for one store. The Old General Mercantile store was an awesome store. They were ringing up people left and right because they used this huge antique cash register. It was so impressive, with all the buttons and the pull down total mechanism. I snapped a picture with my phone and viola! This is my impression. This is 11x14 oil on stretched canvas and is available for $80 with FREE shipping within the United States.

I hope you enjoy,
Nina
                                                                    Business as Usual
                                                                  11x14 Oil on Canvas
                                                                             $80

"Owl, Impressionistically Speaking"

Hello Friends,

This painting was another learning experience for me, where I stretched my painting style somewhat. The reference photo was of a person with this wonderful owl sitting on their arm. The eyes were the first thing that grabbed me about the photo. I always say, the eyes are the windows to the soul. I am always trying to learn something new with my painting. It chases the stress away and let's me escape. So, I took the owl off of the arm of the person holding him and put him in the forest, where he belongs. You all know how "close" I am to the forest. LOL Like, right out my door! Anyway...I wanted the eyes of this beautiful bird to be the focus of this painting. The rest of him, I wanted to experiment with the impressionistic style of painting. The background, I wanted to look like it was far, far away. I was streaming when I started this painting. He looked pretty rough, there for awhile. I even referred to him as a "chicken" a time or two. My wonderful friends who are also artists, and encourage me and support me ASSURED me, he did NOT look like a chicken! This painting is 8x10 on gessoed masonite and is available for $50 with FREE Shipping within the United States.

                                                    Owl, Impressionistically Speaking
                                                            8X10 Oil on masonite
                                                                         $50

Drake

Hello Friends,

My mom lives on the lake. I'm sure I have mentioned that a few times. LOL She needs to be registered
as an animal sanctuary. Bird rescue, protected property by the FBI or CIA, because every year, without fail, Mr. and Mrs. Wood Duck come back to mom's place. Pap has had wood duck boxes for as long as I can remember. He has even sat on the patio and in his rocker and shot a snake out of one of his prized wood duck boxes. These beautiful birds seem to know exactly where to go to rear their young. They seem to know that my mom would fight the devil himself to protect her bird children. This painting was inspired by the Wood Duck Sanctuary my mom has. They are such beautiful creatures and such a joy to paint. This is 5X7 on gessoed masonite and is available for $30 with FREE Shipping within the United States.
                                                                             Drake
                                                              5X7 Acrylic on masonite
                                                                              SOLD

La Tech University Hideaway Park

Hello Friends,

I try to go walking as much as I can. This whole weight loss journey has it's ups and downs, that's for sure. With the time change, it gives me more time in the afternoon, after work to walk before it gets dark. Sometimes I walk on my street, but sometimes I like to go to a park on the Louisiana Tech University Campus. It's called the Hideaway Park. The hills will get your heart pumping! It is beautifully paved and has a body of water there. Although it's shaded, you will get your workout! I was walking and decided to snap a picture with my cell phone. This painting is the result. It is 5X7 Oil on masonite panel. It's available for $30 with free shipping within the United States.

                                                                        Hideaway Park
                                                                             5x7
                                                              Oil on Masonite Panel
                                                                           $30

La Tech Bulldog

Hello Friends,
This Painting is of the Louisiana Tech University Bulldog. Their all time rival is LSU. My son is a student at Tech. The Bulldog is guarding his territory in this painting. He is chasing the LSU player off the field, but not before he got a piece of him. This is 16X20 Oil on Stretched Canvas. It is available for $120 With FREE SHIPPING in the United States.

                                                                  16x20 Oil on Canvas
                                                                  La Tech Bull Dog
                                                                        $120

The Wise One

Hello Friends,
This painting is inspired by my family's yearly hunt in Arkansas. My pap, who was my stepfather, actually named this painting. He was an avid hunter. He had very strict rules to follow about which deer he would allow to sacrifice their lives to feed our family. Absolutely no does, with young....for example. His laws were laid down and followed. I was debating over a name for this painting when it was finished. Pap said the name should be "The Wise One". I asked him to explain his thought. He told me, "Do you know how that deer got to be old enough to have a rack that size? Because he became...Wise...." It made perfect sense to me when he explained what he meant by that.  This is 5X7 Acrylic on Gessoed Masonite. It is available for $30 With FREE Shipping in the United States.

                                                                    The Wise    One
                                                             5X7 Acrylic on masonite
                                                                           SOLD

Pair of Cardinals

Hello Friends,

This painting is an 11X14 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas. It is available for $50.

Company Come to Call

Hello Friends,

This was a fun painting to do. Sort of a different style than I usually paint, so it was a challenge to go into the folk art style. This is sort of based on the Southern tradition of not letting the daughter of the house visit with her fellow unattended. So the house maid is in charge of chaperoning the courting couple. The handsome fellow can come visit on his horse, but not without the watchful eye of the help. LOL So much fun! This painting is Acrylic on a 7X14 Stretched Canvas. The Original is for sale.
                                                              Company Come to Call
                                                                              7x14
                                                                               $90

Mallard

Hello Friends,

This was a really fun painting to do. My mom lives on a lake and has lots of these fellas come and visit. They love to steal the bird seed she puts out for the red birds. They are really brave and don't even care if the dogs are out. It's really funny and enjoyable to sit and watch. I wanted to see if I could capture the iridescent quality of the blues and greens in the feathers against the water in this painting. Such beautiful creatures. This fellow is available for $30 with FREE SHIPPING within the United States.

                                                                            SOLD

Green Tree Frog

Hello Friends,
This painting was my attempt to sketch with my brush freehand. I like to work on my drawing skills along with my painting skills. So to start with a blank canvas, or in this case gessoed masonite is always a challenge. I sketched the drawing with my brush using burnt sienna thinned with medium and went from there. I wanted to see if I could get the frog sitting correctly on the flowers as I saw in the reference photo and see if I could give the impression of him sorta coming at the viewer, like he's really interested in what you have to say. It's 8X10 Oil on gessoed masonite. I'm happy with it. I'm always trying to improve my skill. I hope you all enjoy. This guy is available for $30 with FREE SHIPPING within the United States!

                                                                  Green Tree Frog
                                                            8X10 Oil on masonite panel
                                                                          $30

                                                                         SOLD

"Blue Light Special" January 29, 2013

Hello again, friends,

This painting was supposed to be a suprise for my oldest son, Terry. His birthday is January 20, two days after mine. Well.....he sorta had to get an I. O. U. on his birthday, because I couldn't get this painting finished in time. LOL I thought, what a cute idea....Happy Birthday, son, I love you. Here is your I. O. U. He probably didn't think it was to funny, but I did. Anyway, he said he understood, since I work full time and had to work over alot that week, I couldn't finish it in time. Hopefully, he knows I love him dearly. Never the less, I finished it! Only 9 days late!

This is my oldest son, Terry. He is a deputy with the Sheriff's office. On this particular day, he was training, or having a workout session, or however you want to put it, with the narcotics dog named Jap. I personally would call it terrifying! But, he loves his job. Someone took a picture at just the right moment when Jap was latching down on Terry's arm like he was a culprit about to escape justice! Terry loves this photo, so I thought it would make a special birthday present for him to hang on his wall. So I used the photo as a reference and this is the result. I named it "Blue Light Special", in honor of the Sheriff's office and the Deputies who put their lives on the line every day.  Thanks for enjoying my art. I certainly do.

                                                                      Blue Light Special
                                                                              18X24
                                                              Oil on Stretched Canvas

"An Oilfield Legend" January 12, 2013

Hello again, my friends,

I admit, it has been awhile since I posted on my blog. I have been trying to get all my painting loaded onto Fineartamerica.com. I had to redo all the photos, since the images I had did not have high enough resolution. Lovely. That meant a new camera purchase for me. Oh well, I love doing it! I heard you...enough of my whining...lol

This new painting is of a very special person. He is my mom's husband, R.G."Bucket"Lewis. My step father. He passed away on December 3, 2012. He worked for 50 some odd years in the oil field industry. In this painting, he is on location, working on a drilling rig. He is wearing the hard hat he wore through out his career. Any one who had anything to do with the oil field industry within 3 states, knew "Bucket" Lewis. To us kids of my mom, he was always referred to as "Pap". Back in the day, when my husband was alive, he worked for pap. They were a pair of trouble makers, let me tell you. "Bucket" Lewis drilled many, many wells all over the south. He stayed on location for weeks at a time, until each job was completed. Then, would move to the next location, to begin to break ground and drill for the "black gold".

At his memorial service, the reference photo for this painting was displayed, along with the hard hat he is wearing in this painting. So when my mom wasn't looking, in the days following the service, I took a picture of the photo with my cell phone. This painting is my impression. The painting is 18x24 Oil on Stretched Canvas. I am loading it on Fine Art America, so that if some of his family or friends want a print, they can get one, and maybe I can buy more paint. :)  I debated over a name for this painting..."American Worker"..."American Pride"..."Working Pride"...But in the end, my mom actually named this painting, "An Oilfield Legend". I believe the name fits beautifully. I will deliver the painting to her this weekend. I cannot wait to see her face! He took care of my mom like no other man could ever do. He was a Legend in my book!

                                                                  "An Oilfield Legend"
                                                                           18X24
                                                               Oil on Stretched Canvas

11/20/2012 "Order Up, Rain" is Done!!

Hello, my friends,

Well, I FINALLY was able to finish the painting I named "Order Up, Rain". This being totally due to the fact that I was sick and off work. So I had nothing else to do. Well, I didn't have the energy to do anything else but sit in my studio, let me be totally honest, here. This painting came about from reading the blog of a friend, Jack LaFountain. He is a writer, who's blog I follow. With his permission, I've pasted his blog post from that day so that you can read it for yourself. It's as follows:

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Hopi Project

How do you change the world? One person at a time. There are many Hopi people here
on the reservation without running water, inside toilets, and electricity. It is
easy to look around and be discouraged. It’s easy to see why alcoholism,
depression and suicide are rampant. The size of the want is overwhelming. It is
easy to shake your head and pass by on the other side. Inability to help all
must not prevent helping one.
The Hopi Project is an effort to provide a single Hopi family with a roof and
running water. The ultimate expectation is for a new or used single wide mobile
home. It is not about solving everyone’s problems. It is not even about helping
everyone. It is about helping one. It is done in hope that one will become two
and two become four. The Naha family did not ask us for help. They hoped and
prayed for something better. God heard and sent an answer; just as He did when
reclaiming them from alcoholism, drugs and violence. God spiritually and
emotionally lifted them. God has broken the cycle of chains on the next
generation. Now, we hope to add some physical comfort.
True----God could give this family a home that doesn’t leak and has indoor plumbing without our help. God can do anything. God has chosen to invite you and me to share in
the working of a blessing.
Why should we care? What’s in it for you and me? Nothing less than divine
adoption.
“ And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if
ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? If ye do good to them which do
good to you, what thank have ye?  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to
receive, what thank have ye? ...do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and
your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the
Highest...”
You can help. You can donate to the project on Blogger or on my website www.jacklafountain.com
. You may give a tax deductible donation by sending your help through the Altus
Church of God (900 S. Park, Altus, Ok).
“Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Give, and it shall be
given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete
withal it shall be measured to you again.”

 

 

 

So, that was Jack's Blog that day....very moving, don't you think? So that got me thinking. I can help this family. So I ask Jack for some reference photos and this painting is the result. It's 18x24 oil on stretched canvas. I think it turned out GREAT! These are actually Rain Dancers. They use their rattles to call down the rain. That was the idea behind the storm coming in the back ground. They reside in Keams Canyan Arizona so I knew it had to be desert like surroundings. The water I added as a really cool effect of their "Rain Calling" ability. I mean, they're in the desert, after all. Half of the proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated to the Hopi Project. I think it's a really good cause.

                                                                    "Order Up, Rain"

                                                                              18X24

                                                                 Oil on Stretched Canvas

                                                                               $450

 

 

 

 

 

11/07/2012 Progress on "Order Up, Rain"

Hello again, friends,

Geez! If I ever get a weekend to just...chill! I am going to finish this painting! I am loving this experience, tho, I must say. It is coming along beautifully! I hope I am able to donate half of the proceeds from the sale of this painting to the Hopi Project as referenced earlier on my blog. Here is a snapshot of more progress on "Order Up, Rain". Makes ya wonder what the heck is going on doesn't it...

Alan Kingwell Liquin Study

Hello again, my friends. I have not managed to do much in the way of painting lately. Hopefully, with the changes I am considering, that will change. But more on that later. The story behind this little painting...

Liquin...every artist who has ever picked up a brush knows what it is. I knew what it was. I had never used it. I am working on the painting with the thunder and lightening I have named..."Order Up, Rain". I needed to get detail and knew I needed to use liquin with my oil paint to do it. But before I used it on this special painting and totally screw it up, I went to doing research and the internet and, of course, YouTube.  I came across this guy who had several tutorials on his page using liquin with oil paint. He got such detail using this and his paintings are so beautiful. So I decided to follow along with one of them doing something small so I could learn how to use it.

I also wanted to work on my depth and my snow. So, I killed a whole flock of birds with this one. LOL
                                                            Alan Kingwell Liquin Study
                                                                              8X10
                                                                oil on Stretched Canvas
                                                                         with liquin :)
                                                                              SOLD

October 6, 2012

Hello Again,

I've had to put aside the Special Painting, "Order Up, Rain", to work on the paintings that I was taking to the Jim Bowie Festival. I did that, and it was a DISASTER!! My friends on Facebook know about that, so I'm not even going there again. LOL So, I had some issues getting back to my painting. I felt like my creative process was kinda shut down, I suppose.

I've managed to work thru those issues somewhat, and feel like I can continue with "Order Up, Rain". It's a 18x24 oil painting to benefit the Hopi Project. I'll provide the link for that as well. This is a picture of only the top left corner of the painting. A teaser...so to speak. If I'm able to sell this painting, half of the proceeds will go to the Hopi Project. So, maybe it will be a good thing.

We will see.

Thanks for reading and following,
Nina


The Hopi Project link from Jack LaFountain's Blog

Paying It Forward

The Lord has blessed me in my life, with the ability to provide for, not only my three children, but myself, a home that has all that we need. Not anything fancy, mind you, but decent. Alot of things that in the day to day, you take for granted. I hope to be able to pay a little bit of my blessing forward with this next painting I am beginning tonight. There will be more to come about this a little later.......

-Nina

September 16, 2012

Hello again, my Friends,

I've never been to the beach, so I was excited when I was asked to do this commission. This was a Gorgeous photo. I loved the colors in the sky in the photo and wanted to make sure that the evening time of day, came across in my interpretation. I wanted to recreate the wispy grasses bending in the breezes. I'm happy with how it turned out. This is 16X20 oil on stretched canvas.

                                                                            16x20
                                                                    Christy's Beach

Peacock

Hello again my friends,

I haven't posted anything in a while. I've let "life" get in the way, I suppose. This is one of my  paintings. This Peacock is done in acrylic on stretched canvas, which I enjoy working with on occasion. I was drawn to this by the challenge of the feathers in the background. I wanted to see if I could actually give the impression of all those intricate feathers. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I love how the lime green and turquoise colors blend on this bird. He's a magnificent looking fellow, don't you think? He is available for $50 with FREE SHIPPING within the United States.


                                                                          Peacock
                                                                       8x10 Acrylic
                                                                             $50

June 17, 2012 "Magnolia Blossom"

Hello again, my friends, I hope everyone has had a wonderful Father's Day. Those men who give their time and love to children, either their own by blood, or the ones not of their blood, are a rare breed. I never knew my father, so my mother was the greatest father I never had. My husband died in 1991, so I made sure I was the greatest father my children never had, just like my mom taught me to be. If your father is still among the living,and a part of your life, make sure you appreciate him for his worth, won't you?

This weekend was my weekend to work in the gallery in Natchitoches, La. While I was there, I saw many father's bring their families into the gallery, to learn to appreciate art. I was very happy to see that some people are passing along their knowledge and respect for the arts, in this fast paced, hurry up and wait society we live in.

I had plenty of time to contemplate all these things, and work in a new medium to me, which was pastels. I did this pastel painting in the gallery over the weekend. I enjoyed the process of learning how to blend the colors and achieve the look I wanted in this magnolia blossom. This painting is 11X14 pastel in a wood frame. It is available for purchase, if you so desire. I hope you enjoy seeing my impression of "Magnolia Blossum" as much as I enjoyed doing it.

Thanks so much, Nina

Magnolia Blossum
$75

May 31,2012 Planting Time

Hello again, my friends. I made it thru closeout at the hospital, where I work. It's exausting! It's the end of the month when all the doctor's charges for all the surgeries have to be done. Whew! But I have still found time to do what I love to do to unwind and de-stress. Paint!! This painting started out with a different name. This is a painting of my sweet neighbors who take such good care of me. The man and his neice are planting one of the many vegetables they grow, right across the street. My mom cannot pronouce their last name, so she lovingly refers to them as "The Mafia". This is the sweetest couple ever. I just love having them as neighbors. The painting started out being called "Mafia Farmer". This is how I referred to it as I was painting and recording the painting sessions on ustream, but I didn't think it would be a proper name to post on my blog. So I changed the name of the painting to "Planting Time". This is 11x14 oil on stretched canvas. It is available for purchase. Just contact me for more info. Thanks again for following my ramblings. Nina

"Finally Home"

Hello again, my friends,

I made it thru the first part of the week, which was rough, to say the least. Now I can get back to doing what I love to do. After work of course. Painting!

I've been wanting to do a painting with a Harley Davidson motorcycle in it for some time. I have searched and searched for a good reference photo for forever, it seems. I never could find one that appealed to me. I don't know, picky, I guess. Well, my neighbors, whom I love dearly, provided me with a reference photo that belongs to one of their friends. I say, whom I love dearly, because they took care of Daisy while I was gone to the funerals of my Uncle and cousin. They take good care of us.

So, anyway, the bike is a custom bike. It's bright green color, I just love. I thought it would look great parked under the street light. I also thought the one lit window in the building would convey my idea that the rider of the bike is the only one home in the whole place, so I'm calling this one..."Finally Home". This one is 11x14 oil on stretched canvas. It is available for purchase for $100 With FREE SHIPPING within the United States. I hope you enjoy my impression of this bike as well as I enjoyed bringing it to you.
                                                                  
                                                                       Finally Home
                                                                  11x14 oil on canvas
                                                                            $100